The Hawaiian Islands are literally thousands of miles east or west from just about anywhere in the world. So, when you fly to this remote island chain, you are pretty much guaranteed to experience some degree of jet lag at the start of your vacation.
No matter how tired I am from my 12-to-15-hour journey to Hawaii, I never sleep through the first night. I always wake up early. How early? I’m typically wide awake somewhere between 2:00 and 5:00 a.m. If I’m lucky, I’ll be able to doze off briefly, but rarely do I get much more significant sleep.
Since I have visited Hawaii dozens of times now, I know what to expect to expect. Rather than growl about jet lag, now I plan to use it to my advantage. I’d like to encourage you to take advantage of your jet lag, too.
Here are some ideas to help you make the most of your first full day in paradise:
Do some stargazing
Hawaii’s lack of heavy light pollution combined with the cleaner air, make it a world class spot to see stars. Whether you are a budding astronomer or a complete night-sky novice, you can appreciate vast amount of stars you’ll see in Hawaii.
See sunrise
Watching the sun rise can be a very moving experience. Seeing it in Hawaii is even sweeter. Maui’s Mount Haleakala is one of the more well known places in Hawaii to watch sunrise. (See my tips for Haleakala sunrise.) Of course, any east-facing shore provides great sunrise view. Just find a beach and plop yourself down to watch the sun slowly brighten the sky.
Get an early start on hikes
Many hikes are best done earlier in the day while the temperatures are colder and less people are on the trail. A couple examples hikes are:
- Le’ahi (Diamond Head) on Oahu
- Makapu’u Lighthouse on the leeward southeastern side of Oahu. Incidentally, this hike is great for sunrise and, if you happen to visit between January and March, you have the added bonus of humpback whale watching.
Take a morning walk or jog
Early morning walks are a great way to start the day. Some of the resort areas have nice shoreline walking/jogging paths which make exercising in the beautiful scenery an enjoyable experience. Some of our favorites are the Wailea path and Kaanapali path on Maui. Also on Maui, the Kapalua resort has some lovely coastal walks and pathways within the resort.
Of course, walking either on or along Waikiki Beach is lovely, too. As an added bonus, you’ll find the beach much less crowded in the early morning hours.
On the Big Island, it’s nice to take a stroll through Kailua Kona or head up to Hapuna Beach for a walk on one of the islands longest beaches.
Over on Kauai, the Kapaa coastal pathway is nice for walking, jogging or riding a bike. With this pathway’s east-facing shoreline, you could combine it with watching sunrise.
Plan your early tours and activities for the first day or two of your stay
Many tours and activities start fairly early in the morning. Some snorkeling and diving tours are best to start earlier in the morning while the ocean tends to be calmer. For example a snorkel tour to Molokini is best done first thing in the morning.
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Since most resort restaurants don’t open until 6:00 or 7:00 a.m., you may want to bring your own breakfast for the first couple of days. See our suggestions for snack and food to bring to Hawaii.
Well, these are my suggestions for using your jet lag for your benefit. What other creative ideas do you have to make your jet lag work for you?
Sheila Beal
4 comments
Go to Honaunau Bay before it opens, get a great parking space and have the ocean to yourself for the first hour. You also beat the morning traffic.
When we went, we couldn’t sleep all the way through the night either and just went to bed a little early and got up early for hikes. It’s so much cooler in the morning!
One of my favorite things to do in Hawaii is to watch the sunrise on that first morning as I am so awake from jetlag. I try to do it the first couple of mornings.
My favorite is still over diamondhead on Waikiki Beach. It is amazing to see! Especially with a bustling city just starting to wake up!